New Jalen Duren Rumors on Sign-and-Trade Landing Spots amid Pistons Contract Standoff

The Sacramento Kings and Milwaukee Bucks have interest in a sign-and-trade with the Detroit Pistons for restricted free agent and All-Star center Jalen Duren if Detroit and the 6'10", 250-pound man cannot reach terms on a contract agreement, per Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated.

"Here's what it will take: Money, and more of it than the $200 million the Pistons are reportedly willing to pay Duren over the next five seasons. Clearly, Duren and his representatives believe there is more cash out there. Sacramento and Milwaukee have interest in Duren, a source confirmed, and likely would plus-up the offer if Detroit was willing to play ball on a sign-and-trade."

Duren rejected the Detroit Pistons' five-year, $200 million fully guaranteed offer, and he is not attending their training camp, which began Tuesday.

Duren, who turns 23 on Nov. 18, is entering his fifth NBA season. He has played all four of his pro campaigns with the Pistons, who selected him with the 13th overall pick in the 2022 NBA draft.

Last year, Duren enjoyed a breakout season, averaging 19.5 points on 65.0 percent shooting and 10.5 rebounds en route to helping guide Detroit to a 60-win season and first place in the Eastern Conference standings. It was a tremendous regular season for the Pistons and Duren, who played an instrumental role in quickly turning a team around that won just 14 games in 2023-24.

Unfortunately, the playoffs were tough for the Pistons and Duren. Detroit needed seven games to beat the No. 8 seed Orlando Magic and then fell to the No. 4 seed Cleveland Cavaliers in the second round. Duren's numbers dropped to 10.5 points on 51.4 percent shooting and 8.5 boards per game.

At this point, it's unclear what Duren's future in Detroit will be. Right now, there's a Thursday deadline on the Pistons' one-year, $9.6 million qualifying offer to the center. Per Arthur Hill of Hoops Rumors, the Pistons can agree to extend their deadline, but he will stay an RFA if the qualifying offer expires.

There's more than money involved here, though, per a report from ESPN's Eric Woodyard.

"Duren's representatives have made it clear to the Pistons that the standoff is no longer about the money.

"Duren feels disrespected by the process, sources said, particularly compared to how the team handled the contract extension of forward Ausar Thompson, who agreed to a five-year, $155 million rookie-scale contract extension with the franchise earlier this month, along with weight clauses in earlier offers.

"The Pistons believe they've made a fair offer to Duren, which is more than he'd make under the qualifying offer that would make him an unrestricted free agent next offseason. But Duren would be leaving at least $190 million in guaranteed money on the table, as it stands, and would need a max deal next summer to break even over the five years compared with what the Pistons are offering."

It doesn't seem like an answer on this standoff is imminent. The Kings and Bucks are reportedly waiting in the wings if Detroit decides to pursue a sign-and-trade, but the time to watch right now is Thursday at 11:59 p.m. ET, when the deadline on the Pistons' qualifying offer expires.